What the Puck Happened?

Ok, I was having Yankee withdrawal on Saturday. With no game since Wednesday, I needed a fix. Unfortunately, that night's game was a 7:00 start time. Now, to convince my husband to abandon our original plans and go out to watch the game.

Knowing he is a sucker for good pizza, we headed to Regina's in Allston. As the former Sports Depot, I knew that there would be an abundance of large flat screens and the Yanks/Orioles' game would be showing on at least one of them.

So, let me take you there.

Scene: Pizzeria Regina

Me: Hi. There's two of us and I would like to watch the Yankees's game. It's on 631 on Directv.

Pizza Hostess: No problem. Just tell your server and she'll change the channel by your table.

(We are seated.)

Pizza Waitress: Do you know what you'd like to drink?

Me: Yes, a Stella Artois and can you please put on channel 631?

Waitress: Sure. It will bs right on.

AND THEN...

The Yankees show up on our table-side TV, and eventually on EVERY TV in the ENTIRE restaurant.

Instead of Game 5 of the Bruins/Canadiens Playoff game, Derek Jeter was on every screen grounding into a double play.

Derek Jeter, that hated Yankee here in Red Sox Nation, had usurped the beloved Bruins.

I cannot repeat the angry words of my fellow patrons, but they were not very pretty.

The bartender tried to difuse the situation by yelling "April Fools!"

Due to a Directv glitch, they were unable to broadcast multiple programs simultaneously. And quickly, every TV was changed back to this all-important playoff game. I asked my waitress to not tell a soul that it was me that was responsible. I didn't want to be tar-and-feathered before I had a chance to eat my pizza.

Rain, Rain Go Away!

I was out in the North End having dinner on Friday night, got home at about 10:30 and decided to watch that night's Yankee game that I had recorded on DVR.

Much to my 10:30 dismay, the game was postponed due to rain. In Baltimore, no less.

Not a big deal for me, I much prefer to watch a game in real time.

But it is a big deal for the Yanks who saw their third game of this very young season rained out. In less than three weeks, that's three games that did not happen.

And so I have to wonder, what is going on with the weather?

MLB has had 16 rainouts so far this year, compare that to a total of 21 during the entire 2010 season. Seems excessive to me.

And at this rate, if these games are tacked on to the end of the season, then there is the real risk of World Series' games being snowed out!

Issuing an Apology to Bartolo Colon

My very first post, way back in January, during our first week of class, was a mean-spirited and sarcastically written lament about Bartolo Colon.

Today, after Colon's brilliant pitching performance last night, I must eat crow.

Who, really who, would have ever thought that Colon would ride in on his white horse (albeit a big horse), and rescue the Yankees -- damsels in distress -- from their pitching woes.

There he was, on the mound, having missed the last two seasons, never missing a beat.

And so, Bartolo Colon, let me say how sorry I am for poking fun at you back in January and doubting your ability to pitch. You sure made this doubter a believer and this vegetarian a crow eater.

Less-than-Face-Value is a Terrific Value!

With attendance down across the board for the 30 teams that make up Major League Baseball, both teams and those greedy ticket brokers with storefronts are stuck with more tickets than customers.

So what happens when supply exceeds demand? The customer wins.

StubHub, that breeding ground for sellable tickets at a premium, has become the primary source for buying tickets below face value.

While these deep discounts cannot and will not be found for a Yanks-Sox game at either Fenway Park or Yankee Stadium, I have found amazing tickets for a Saturday game at Yankee Stadium. Tickets for Next Saturday's Blue Jays-Yanks game can be had for about $25, normally priced at $75.

While not the best seats in the house, they are an amazing bargain for $25. And in my opinion, any ticket that is substantially less than face value really is a terrific value!

Welfare for the Rich

The latest MLB team to take a handout is the Los Angeles Dodgers. Because of a messy divorce between the team owners, the Boston MCCourts, MLB has stepped in and taken over day-to-day operations of the team.

Not unlike last year, when the Texas Rangers were also rescued and cash was infused into the organization, which ironically enabled them to make some good mid-season acquisitions and landed them in the World Series.

And then there's the Mets, who are in the middle of a $1billion dollar lawsuit filed by the trustee for some Madoff victims. The Mets are looking for their second $25million infusion in less than one year.

The amazing thing is that these MLB team owners that are asking for and taking this money are very rich men. Which leads me to label these bailouts as "Welfare for the Rich."

Was Manny Just Being Manny?

I was a Manny fan until I heard a story from a friend who golfed with Luis Tiante. Manny, that fun-loving clown of a guy, apparently made a habit of conveniently forgetting his wallet on cab rides to Fenway Park.

Why? He was Manny being Manny. Money isn't important to Manny. (really, then why was he making $20million dollars per year?) The Red Sox front office would be forced to bail him out by paying a multi-millionaire's cab fare.

Really, Manny? Trying to stiff a hard-working cab driver? You forgot your wallet?

I don't buy it, just like I don't buy your "they weren't steroids, I was taking medication." Female fertility drugs, Manny? Why? Thinking of having a baby?

So, we bid a fond adieu to you Manny Ramirez, on behalf of all the Boston- based cab drivers who are glad to see you go!

A.L. Least

Two weeks into the young season, and there have been plenty of surprises thus far.

Players galore are already on their way to the D.L.; from the reigning AL M.V.P. - Josh Hamilton -- to the Yanks' touted young pitcher, Phil Hughes.

We have witnessed the despicable Barry Bonds get his just due (sort of), as he was found guilty of one charge in his steroids trial.

The Mets are on the market, this time not as a buyer, but as a seller -- of part of their team. Word is that "the Donald" is looking for a piece of the action, and maybe a chance to tell their manager "you're fired!"

But, the biggest surprise of this young season is occurring in the best division in baseball, the home of the team with the worst record in baseball. Yes, the AL East, normally the division most emulated, is home to the team with the least wins. By far, the biggest surprise of the young season.

The Rivalry Returns and so does the traffic !

I rushed back home yesterday from campus, only to be greeted by throngs of cars and traffic jams galore as I made my way at a snail's pace through Huntington Avenue and the periphery of the Fens.

I thought that by leaving at two o'clock, I would be fine. But, I wasn't it. The dreaded Opening Day traffic. I quickly I forgot about the disadvantages of living close to Fenway Park.

I'm pretty sure I cut a number of cars off, wasn't particularly charitable to pedestrians, and might have overlooked a passing ambulance's siren.

I listened to the first few innings on my car's radio, and yelled at Brett Gardner and called Derek Jeter an overachiever a few times.

I did get home in time to witness the implosion of Yankee starting pitcher, Phil Hughes, and the Yanks ultimate gift to the Sox and their fans -- their first win of 2011.

Hey Sox, I think Phil Hughes is still waiting on his "Thank You" Bouquet!

The Results are In...

And as the owner of the Countdown to Opening Day blog, I hereby announce that it is a two-way tie -- between the Yankees and the Red Sox. But, there can't be a tie, there can only be one favorite to win the American League East. And using my tie-breaking power to cast the final vote, yes, you guessed it -- the winner is the New York Yankees.

Opening Day, Yeah!

It's finally here, Yankee's Opening Day, and I had the luxury of having a front-row seat -- in my house! Which is not a bad deal, considering it was a 1:05 start. So, with a free day off from school and the best ballpark food that I could find in my frig, I settled in for four hours of Yankees (including Pre and post-game shows).

It felt like it was just yesterday when they were eliminated by the Texas Rangers in game five of the ALCS. And here they were -- back in the beautiful ballpark in the Bronx.

Opening Day did not disappoint. Pomp, circumstance, and home runs -- who could ask for anything more?

C.C. was in control, Tex broke his April curse with a 3-run homer,and Arod was Arod.

And did I mention the WIN?

A Paper Field

I'm channel surfing and happen upon some Q & A on ESPN or it could have been NESN. Nor really paying much attention to the programming, I am merely looking for some background noise to keep me company while I read the next assigned chapter for one of my classes.

I keep the sports station on, settle back with my textbook, concerned more with it's content than the one on the screen. And then, the words that I have heard more times than I care to, come blaring out at me.

"The Red Sox will have a killer lineup this season. No other team has made such an offseason splash. Look at the acquisitions of Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford," said sonme unknown with a droning voice.

Heck, it could have been a parrot, for these exact words have been repeated so many tines since, well, the acquisitions of Gonzalez and Crawford.

Even Brian Cashman, the Yankee's GM must have gotten the same memo. He touted the Red Sox as having the better team on paper. But even he admits, the game is not played on paper, but on a field in front of fans. Lots of them.

I am not ready to concede anything. Look at the UConn Huskies' magical run through the Big East Tournament and the NCAA Tournament. They were never the team to beat. At least not on paper,anyway.

To HD or not to HD, that is the Question

I've owned a mega-TV for a few years, one of the HDTV kind. The problem is I am a DirecTV customer (and a procrastinator). I have put off calling DirecTV to order and have installed a special HDTV satellite dish.

Why? Mostly because I hate waiting, I'm just not very good at it.

And so every spring, right around the time when every sports fanatic feels like he/she is a cat on catnip, I say that this is going to be "the year."

And this spring, I am saying the same thing. Because I want to see it all up close like I've never seen it before.

I want to see the sweat pouring off UConn's phenom point guard, Kemba Walker's face. I want to see just how much "smuts" that Jim Calhoun has stuck in the corners of his mouth after forty minutes of chronic gum chewing.

More than anything, I want to see the pink plumpness of Alex Rodriguez' lips and the wide gap between CC Sabathia's two front teeth.

And while it would be nice to finally figure out all of the words and images tattooed on AJ Burnett's arms, that would mean that he is pitching. Which is something that I definitely do not
want to see, especially in High Definition. Much more painful to watch.

On second thought, I think I really don't need HDTV this spring. At least, not yet.

March Madness vs. Preseason Baseball

This is the time of the year when I wish I had a dual-screen TV. Do I watch the Big East Tournament (meaningful) or Pre-Season Baseball (meaningless)? And there lies my challenge.

What constitutes meaningful to one and meaningless to another? Is meaning in the eyes of the beholder?

As much as my rational self knows that spring training games have absolutely no barring on the regular season, my emotional self never got the message.

And so today I am torn. Between meaningful and meaningless. Between a bunch of college boys who will desert me as they prematurely head to the NBA and a group of professional and charismatic men who will be there for me at least through the end of September (and hopefully well into October).

I think I've solved my own dilemma!

Friday Night Fix

The week was a tough one for me. Tests equal stress; lots of tests equal lots of stress. Which is probably why on Friday afternoon, I was diagnosed with a sinus infection.

After filling my Rx at CVS, I felt sorry for myself and thought some pampering would be a good fix.

So, I headed to Finale for a most unhealthy (and costly) lunch of butterscotch pudding and hazelnut hot chocolate. I left Finale believing I was on the road to recovery.

What's this have to do with counting down to opening day? Relax, I'm getting there.

After an hour curled on the couch (still feeling sorry for myself) with Oprah, I began flipping channels. And that's when I discovered it -- the perfect cure for my aches and pains --Yankee pre-season baseball.

And at 7 p.m., I was front and center on my comfy couch watching my boys of summer take on the Boston Red Sox. Suddenly, my sinus congestion and pressure lessened, my symptoms were fading fast.

Was it the antibiotics? The hot chocolate and butterscotch pudding? Was it Oprah?

No, it was baseball, my own "chicken soup" for the body and for the soul.

How I Got My (Pin)Stripes

They ask me how I could root for them, the Evil Empire as they like to call them here in Boston. ”I won’t hold it against you,” they tell me when they find out I am a Yankees fan, or that my favorite players are not named Ortiz or Youkilis, but rather Jeter and Rodriguez.


“But you live in Boston, how could you be a Yankees fan?” they ask.

“It’s easy,” I tell them. “How could I not? It’s something that I shared with my dad.”

I grew up with the Pinstripes, a passion I inherited from my dad, “Patsy” Perezella, a die-hard Yankees fan. The child of Italian immigrants, my dad had heroes, and their names were DiMaggio, Berra, and Rizzutto, Yankee greats whose backgrounds were similar to his own. Everyone needs a hero, and my dad, like so many others in his neighborhood, had found his on a baseball field in the Bronx.

It’s easy to remember the first time I put on a New York Yankees cap and pledged allegiance to the pinstripes forever. It was the Halloween after the 1977 World Series, and Yankee fever had re-entered the hearts of many a people in southwestern Connecticut, where we called home. It made my dad happy when my friends and I embraced his Yanks and chose to trick-or-treat as our favorite players -- Guidry, Dent and Piniella.

Our shared passion for the Pinstripes continued until his death in 2005, and today, I continue to root for the Pinstripes in his memory.

Pitchers(???) and Catchers Report

Well, it's official -- pitchers and catchers have reported to George M. Steinbrenner Field, the Yankees' Spring Training home.

Unfortunately, for me, like most Yankees fans, with their threadbare pitching staff, they might as well have reported to a Little League field. With just two reliable (we hope) starting pitchers, the remainder of their rotation is a big question mark.

So, after C.C. and Phil Hughes, who is worthy of putting on the Pinstripes?
Let me start with who is getting paid to wear and perform in the Pinstripes. That would be the overly-inked and overpaid A.J. Burnett. He's got at least three years and $55million dolars remaining on his contract.

Last year, however, he went a pathetic 10-15, and should have been forced to donate his inflated salary to the paying fans who had to put up with his horrific performances every fifth day.

Then there are the other four no-name or hads-been pitchers who are competing for the final two spots in the back-end of the rotation.

And speaking of back-end, has anybody seen the enlarged one on Joba Chamberlain?

Hollywood and the Bronx

Geographically far apart, but romantically entwined. Perhaps it was the Yankee Clipper of yesterday, Joltin' Joe Dimaggio, that got it all started, this Hollywood-Bronx connection.

Remember Marilyn Monroe? Of course not, you're probably too young. Well, the Yankees' star centerfielder, Joe D. and the Hollywood legend Marilyn Monroe did more than just hook-up; they got married.

And today's Yankee stars seem to be falling in Joe D.'s footsteps.
Look at Alex Rodriguez, also known as public enemy #1 in Boston, and his list of Hollywood A-List conquests.

Let's see, first, he left his wife for Madonna, who at the time was 17 years his senior (can you say "Like a Cougar?"). And when he and the Material Girl were no longer "Celebrating" or on "Holiday," he found love (I think that's what he called it) with the adorable Kate Hudson.

Kate won over the hearts of Yankee fans, as they attributed Arod's stellar post-season play to Kate's presence.

Oh, if only Arod saw it the same way.

Now, he is making headlines with his newest gal-pal, Cameron Diaz. It seems Cam has Arod eating out of her hands, as evidenced by the infamous Super Bowl popcorn shots.

Joining Arod and the Hollywood connection is Nick Swisher, the bubbly Yankee leftfielder, who recently tied the knot with Joanna Garcia, most notably atar of the recent CBS sit-com,"Better with You." Did Nick succumb to Yankee peer pressure?

And where would a discussion about the Yankees be without Derek Jeter? It was he who rekindled the modern-day Hollywood/Bronx connection back in 1996 when his romance with Mariah Carey, the much-married Mariah Carey, made tabloid headlines.

But, fifteen years and many romances later, Jeter is linked with Minka Kelly, of "Friday Night Lights" fame. They were set to tie a knot of their own back in November, but that never happened.

Who will be the next unlikely pair in the Hollywood/Bronx connection? Yogi Berra and Betty White?????

So Long, Dandy Andy

There is something about putting words down on paper, they just seem so much more real. Saying them is one thing, writing them is a whole different ballgame.

And it has taken me five days to work up the courage to write these words: Andy Pettite is retiring.

There, I wrote it. It was as bad as I thought it would be.

Andy Pettite announced last week that he was retiring from pitching, from the New York Ysnkees, and from baseball. During his Thursday press conference, which was held at Yankee Stadium, this 16-year veteran pitcher, announced his retirement and his reasons for hanging up his cleats at just 38 years old. Even young by baseball standards.

He wants to see his kids grow, he has already missed too much of it already. Ghats understandable. And although he is perfectly healthy and his arm feels great, he doesn't feel that his heart is in the gane anymore.

In this era of overpaid and spoiled athletes, it is refreshing to find one that doesn't stuck around for the money.

And Pettite is a rarity. And he is retiring.

Super-duper Bowl? No, thanks.

Yesterday was Media Day in Dallas or Arlington or wherever Jerry Jones built his Mc-Stadium. The host of Super Bowl number something-or-another, the folks of the Lone Star State came out in a big Texas way to welcome the Green Bay Packers and the Pittsburgh Steelers to Cowboy Country. Unfortunately, hearing Ben Ruthless-burger tell the media how he found the Lord (after two attempted rape accusations) did nothing for this baseball fan.

You see, the hype in the sports world may be the big event that's happening on February 6th, but for me, February 15th is the date that's double-circled in bold red marker on my calendar.
Yes, in just thirteen more days, pitchers and catchers report. To Spring Training, of course!

Could there be anything more exciting???

Colon, Seriously?

Could it be over before it even begins? That's the way it feels, if you read the back pages of the New York Post and Daily News. The season for the New York Yankees, 28-time World Series Champs (blah,blah,blah) is finished. By failing to land the big free agent prize, LHP Cliff Lee, they just plain failed. Failed their fans, their storied legacy, their recently-departed owner, just about everyone.

I keep waiting for jaw-dropping headlines to pop-up on Yankees.com announcing a blockbuster trade for Seattle's King Felix Hernandez. And for the Yankees to have traded away half of their minor league system,and to have thrown in Johnny Damom as an added bonus. Oh wait. I almost forgot, Damon hasn't been a Yankee for over a year now.

But, alas, I am not ecstatically overjoyed or even pleasantly surprised when I log-on to Yankees.com. No, I am just plain ill.

For what did the Yankees do with the extra $25million dollars a year that they now have burning a hole in their big Bronx pockets? Spend some of it, right? On maybe a top-of-the-rotation guy to slot in behind C.C. Sabathia? No, how about a washed-up former Cy Young Award Winner who hasn't met a concession stand he didn't like? "Oh, but it's low risk," the Yankee G.M. says, trying to sell the signing of Bartolo Colon to his fan base. But these demanding fans are not about to buy what he is selling- yeah, Colon may be cheap, but you know how long really Cheap Colon lasts. After a while it goes bad and starts to really stink.